Lawrence County Board hears about data centers and the county jail

Thursday, August 20, 2026 at 12:46 PM

By Steve Anderson

A large crowd was on hand Wednesday, August 19th to make their opinions known to the Lawrence County Board on having data centers located in the county in the future.

The board received a presentation on the centers but took no action. They did field questions from the audience, most of whom were against the centers. County Board Chairman Jim Brewer told GIANT-FM News that they are considering a moratorium on the topic until they can further study the issue and talk with other counties about how they are handling the matter.

The Board later entered into executive session for about 25 minutes with Lawrence County Sheriff Trent Masterson to discuss personnel and the continued closure of the Lawrence County Jail located in Lawrenceville. The facility was shut down by the sheriff after a lack of trained staffing occurred due to resignations and illness. That led to prisoners being transferred to the Richland County Jail in Olney where they are being housed at a cost of $25 per day per inmate to Lawrence County. The board emerged from the executive session and took no action. Chairman Brewer told GIANT-FM News that they are working to try and get qualified correctional officers at the jail but have not yet been successful. He said that until the staffing problem is rectified, the jail at 1306 Lexington Avenue will remain closed.